The Future Frontier
by foureyedfool
Summary: Spock and Kirk go on a vacation, but then they inexplicably find themselves on a Starfleet spaceship that bears the same name as their own. However, this ship is captained by a bald man named Jean-Luc Picard and everybody onboard seems to know who they are. How are they here? And why? Old story re-posted to new account, will be continuing/updating. Formally titled 'The Future'.
1. Chapter 1

Spock didn't really know what to expect from his best friend, and the ship's captain, James T. Kirk. Jim had told him to 'be ready to have a good time', but, being a Vulcan, Spock had never had a 'good time'—at least, not that he was aware of.

Kirk had convinced him—not an easy task, mind you—of the logical reasoning behind taking time off for shore leave. Spock had, of course, been adamantly against it at first. He had given his captain all the usual responses—"Captain, I do not require rest", and, "Captain, as a Vulcan, rest is nothing but a waste of time that could be better spent doing something effective. I obtain all the needed restoration from my normal sleep patterns onboard the _Enterprise_."

At first, Jim had launched back with emotional replies. "It'll be good for you, Spock," or, "Let's just get away for a while," or, "Spock, you'll have a good time," all of which Spock was able to outdo with logical reasoning.

Then, Jim did it—he pulled the Captain Card. The card that, when all else fails, always works.

"Mister Spock, I _order_ you come on shore leave with me. I don't care that you don't want to; I don't care that you don't need it; you're coming."

So that was why Spock was here, in the rather undignified outfit of navy swimshorts and leather sandals, following his captain, who was in yellow trunks and flip flops. Spock had a blue towel flung over his shoulder, Kirk had a white one, and also two pairs of goggles in his hands.

"What are those visual aids for, Captain?" Spock had asked Jim earlier, when they were first leaving the Kirk's home to head towards the lake Jim had always gone to as a younger man.

"Come on, Spock," Kirk had said, a grin playing upon his face. "Someone as smart and logical as you can't come to a conclusion of what a pair of goggles are for?"

Spock raised his eyebrow, a gesture Kirk had come to expect. "I would assume, Captain, that their purpose would be enabling you to see underwater. But why you need two pairs is beyond my capacities for deduction."

"I don't need two pairs, Spock. The other one is for you."

"Captain, I do not intend to submerge myself."

"Spock—"

"Captain. I have done what you asked of me; I have come on shore leave with you; I have come to Iowa with you. I was not aware that you intended to take me swimming with you."

Kirk had smiled and put his hand on Spock's shoulder. "Surprise."

"Captain, if I may. It is quite unwise of you to enter into water at this temperature."

"And what temperature is that, Mr. Spock?"

"Forty-two point three-three-six degrees Fahrenheit. Or, forty-two point three-four degrees, if you prefer."

Kirk grinned. "Mister Spock, when I was a young boy, I swam in water fifty degrees colder than this."

Spock squinted his eyebrows together, his mouth set in a straight, contemplative line. "That is quite impossible, Captain. The current temperature of this water is hardly above freezing. It is most illogical to reference a time that you swam in water that was negative eight point three-four degrees. It would be frozen solid. I suggest you make your exaggerations a bit more believable."

Kirk, meanwhile, was rolling his eyes. "I was just meaning to say that I'm used to it. I've done it before, and yes, it is freezing at first, but then you get used to it. No big deal. If I wake up tomorrow with a runny nose and a sore throat, it certainly wouldn't be the first time."

Spock raised his eyebrows. "Well, since you seem adamant to ignore my warnings, I see no logical purpose in continuing them."

"Good."

"However, I am compelled to inform you that I shall not be joining you 'for a dip'."

This slang phrase caught Kirk off-guard, and he looked over at Spock with a smirk. "For a dip?"

Spock nodded. "I am correct in the usage of the phrase, am I not?"

"Perfectly correct. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Ah."

"Well, Spock, I can't say that I'm not sorry to hear you won't be joining me. But, I guess you do have a viable excuse—being from a planet as hot as yours, I can only imagine what forty-two point-three degree water would feel like. An ice bath. Torture."

"Forty-two point three-four degrees, Captain. And yes, the experience would be most unpleasant. I am, however, content to sit and make notations on the moss growing on that tree to your left. I've never seen such a peculiar breed."

"Working on shore leave," Kirk said with another roll of his eyes. "Incredible."

Spock ignored his captain's sarcastic comment and settled against the tree, enjoying the feel of the sun against his pale skin. He ran his long fingers over the soft moss and watched as Kirk dropped his towel on the ground and walked to the water's edge. He edged his feet into the water and laughed when it engulfed his feet.

"Is something amusing, Captain?" Spock wondered aloud.

"No, Spock. I was just thinking of a time I came here with Sam. It was our first day of summer vacation. I was in…seventh grade, I believe. He and I came here and he dared me to walk on my hands in the deepest part of the lake."

"And?"

"And…let's just say, it didn't work."

"That is not surprising. It's a difficult task, even on land."

"Well, I certainly couldn't do it today if you asked me to."

"Why would I ask you to perform such a demeaning act, Captain?"

Kirk sighed. "Spock. It was a figure of speech. I don't really expect you to ask me to walk on my hands. I can't imagine why you would want to see it, except to laugh at me. And Spock, you don't have to call me Captain. For God's sake, we're at a lake out in the middle of nowhere. I don't think you'll be chastised for calling me Jim. Clear?"

"Perfectly, Cap—Jim."

Kirk chuckled and inched a little further into the water, now just a few inches away from being up to his knees. He stood still for a moment, letting his body adjust to the cold temperature of the water, and then took a big step so that his knees were both completely under water. "Come on, Spock!" He shouted at his friend, who was still sitting with his back against the moss-covered tree. "Come in!"

"I am quite content here, thank you."

Kirk shrugged. "Whatever you say."

Spock closed his eyes and entered into a loose state of meditation. It was more of a nostalgic state than a meditative one—he began thinking of his life, from the time that he had left Vulcan to enlist in Starfleet. He had hoped, as had his mother, Amanda, that the older, more mature, adolescents at Starfleet would be more open to the idea of having an Extraterrestrial as their lab partner, or to perform a duet with, or to be roommates with, or to study with.

To a certain degree—thirty-two percent, to be precise—this had been achieved. While this still left much to be desired, it was an improvement on the degree of acceptance he had received on Vulcan, which was closer to ten percent. His classmates had never been able to see past the Human part of him. While he excelled in school, the sciences in particular, the children his age had also been excelling in the control over their emotions, where Spock had little, and in some cases, no, control at all over his. As a young boy, he had often felt resentment towards his mother, wishing that she didn't have to be Human, blaming her for his difficulties. Then, he had come to realize that while having emotions is illogical, being able to empathize with the hundreds of other species with humans made it all worthwhile. He would have an edge over his classmates in whatever it was he decided to do with his life, if, somehow, he could just get a handle on his feelings.

His captain's voice cut through his reminiscing. "Spock! Spock! _Spock!_"

Spock jerked his head up in surprise. "Jim?"

He turned his head towards the lake, where he saw Jim splashing madly. "Captain?" he said, a little louder than he had spoken before.

"Spock! Help me! Spock! Spo—"

* * *

><p>"Jim!" Spock shouted, hoping that Jim could hear him even through the water. "I'm coming!"<p>

Without hesitation, Spock ran into the water. When it was deep enough that he could swim, he dropped his body and looked towards where he had seen Kirk go under. The water was freezing, and his Vulcan body was having a hard time adapting to its low temperature, but he wasn't thinking about that right now—the only thing on his mind was his friend.

Once submerged underwater, he opened his eyes, his inner eyelid acting as a shield against the lake's murk. He scanned the area for his captain, but he couldn't see any sign of him. He swam towards where Jim had been before, but he found nothing. After a few more seconds of searching and scanning, Spock's lungs screamed at him for air, so he reluctantly returned to the surface, where he took a deep breath and began to dive again when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Spock!"

Spock looked in the direction of his captain's voice, human relief flooding over him. "Jim?"

Kirk was sitting on the water's edge, his feet still in the water. A wide grin was on his face—as was a look of pure innocence.

Spock was relieved, but confused. "Captain," he began to ask, "how—"

"It got you in the water, didn't it?" Kirk said with a smirk. He watched Spock as the Vulcan tried to piece together what had happened.

"You…You deceived me."

Kirk laughed, shrugging his wide shoulders. "Guilty."

"I was not asking a question; I was stating a fact." Spock still didn't seem to fully understand what had happened. He looked down at his body; he was in water up to his navel. His friend had been right; what had initially been freezing water now felt fine to him. But, he would probably be ill tomorrow.

"Now that I am in the water, what would be the acceptable behavior to initiate?"

Kirk tossed him a pair of goggles. They landed near him and floated on the water's surface. Spock reached forward and picked them up.

"Wear those."

"Captain—Jim—I do not require such a device. My Vulcan eyes can be opened underwater without causing me the same discomfort that you humans would experience in such a situation."

Kirk smirked. "Oh, I'm sure of it," he said, his tone playful. "But still—I just want to see what you look like in them."

Spock raised an eyebrow and twitched his head. "I imagine that I would look like anyone would wearing a pair of goggles."

"Care to put that theory to the test?"

Spock inhaled slowly—his Vulcan equivalent to a sigh. He lifted the goggles above his head and then slowly pulled them down to cover his eyes. "Satisfied?"

Kirk tried to control himself—a smile was trying to creep onto his face, but he managed to maintain his composure—for a few seconds, at least. It wasn't long before Kirk was laughing, a hand on his stomach, which was soon aching from his amusement of the whole situation. It was just too funny for him, seeing Spock—Spock the Vulcan, Spock the emotionless being, Spock the second in command of the strongest ship in the fleet—wearing a pair of huge, unflattering goggles.

"What is so amusing?" Spock asked. "I have them on correctly, do I not?"

This only made Kirk double over again. "Oh, Spock," he said in between laughs, "you are just too funny."

"I assure you, that is not my intention," Spock quickly defended himself.

Kirk put his own goggles on and dove back into the water, swimming in Spock's direction. "Having fun yet?"

Spock narrowed his eyes. "Fun, Captain?"

"Okay, maybe 'fun' isn't the right word for it. Are you—"

"I will admit that I am fortunate to have been able to experience the—exhilaration—that comes with being immersed in water of this low temperature. What I initially believed would be an unpleasant experience proved to be most—fascinating."

Kirk smiled, knowing that 'fascinating' was the most positive feedback he could, and would, ever get from Spock. "So you are having a good time?"

Tilting his head, Spock looked thoughtful for a moment, before replying, rather concisely, "Yes. I am."

"Come with me, then. I want to show you something."

Without a further word, Spock lowered himself into the water. He surveyed the bottom of the lake—the moss-covered rocks, the dark sand, the small fish that swam next to him. Kirk swam next to him, then turned and headed for the deeper part of the lake, motioning for Spock to follow him. Both went up to take a breath, and then dove again.

Kirk was once again reminiscing of a time he had come to the lake with his brother—they had dove at the same position that he and Spock just had, and after swimming to the deepest part of the lake, they had come across a huge cave. Kirk saw, as he continued swimming deeper and deeper, that the cave was still there, exactly as he remembered it.

His lungs were getting tight now, and, as he looked over at the Vulcan, he could tell that Spock was in desperate need of air as well. Kirk gave him a thumbs-up, hoping that Spock even knew what the gesture meant, and then waved at him to follow. He remembered diving to the cave with Sam, and then swimming through a tunnel and coming up into a chamber etched out by erosion over the years. He would take Spock there.

In seconds, he saw the tunnel, and, remembering how short it was, took the challenge of swimming the extra few feet for to the chamber. He checked once to make sure that Spock was still behind him.

Soon he was at the end of the tunnel, and he instantly put his arms at his sides and shot up towards the surface, taking in a huge breath when his head was above the water. He heard Spock come up beside him and do the same.

Kirk looked around, and instantly felt confused—this wasn't what he remembered. What he and Sam had found was nothing more than the inside of a cave; what he and Spock were now in was what resembled to be nothing more than a small lake. They were surrounded by trees, bushes, everything that was in the forest they had just come from.

"Where are we?" Kirk muttered, his confusion evident in his voice. Spock stared at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Captain? Is this not what you wished to show me?"

"No," Kirk said. "No, it's not. At least, it's not how I remember it. Sam and I, a few years ago, swam through that tunnel that you and I just did, but when we came up, we were in a cave—not the forest." He looked at Spock. "Spock, I don't suppose…I don't know, that the cave could've been eroded away and all this taken its place?" Before Spock could answer, Kirk said, "No, I know that's impossible. Sam and I were only here thirty years ago, but these trees are huge. Not to mention, the cave was underwater…I don't understand."

"Perhaps you 'missed a turn', Captain."

Despite his confusion and the small amount of anxiety creeping into his mind, Kirk smiled. "No, Spock. I assure you, I know exactly where I am. Well, where I'm supposed to be. You know what I mean."

Kirk swam to the water's edge and pulled himself out of the lake, leaning back against a tree. "This place is a lot nicer than where we were," he told Spock. "It's a lot shadier out here. I vote we eat our lunch here."

"Would you like me to go get it, Captain?"

Kirk shook his head. "Well, that's not very fair, is it, Spock? No, I can get it. Or at least go with you to get it." Fortunately, their 'lunch' consisted of nothing more than artificial cubical meals—no sandwiches, salads, or soups to get soggy on the way to their new-found setting.

"I don't mind," Spock insisted. "My lungs are more capable than yours for the task. Also, I do believe I am the faster swimmer."

Kirk smirked. "Pretty impatient, aren't you?"

Spock furrowed his eyebrows. "I am not impatient, Captain. I am hungry."

Laughing, Kirk nodded. "All right, then. Thank you, Mister Spock."

"My pleasure, Captain."

"Jim."

"My pleasure, Jim."

Kirk closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the tree. The warm sun, the light breeze—it was enough to make anyone sleepy, and he was no exception. He hated to think that, in just three days, he would be due back on the _Enterprise_ for another six months of surface before his next few days of shore leave. Not that he didn't like being on the _Enterprise_, of course—he loved it. He loved the people, the missions, the thrills, the challenges, the successes, everything. His life would be a lot different if he weren't on the _Enterprise_—first and foremost, he would never had met Spock. He couldn't imagine never having met the Vulcan—where would be now without him?

"Jim."

Kirk jumped in surprise at Spock's sudden voice. "Yeah, Spock?" He couldn't help but notice the anxiety that had been in Spock's voice. "You certainly got that food quick."

"Captain, I did not get the food. Something is wrong. When I dove in the direction we had come from, I found no way to return to our previous position. There are no tunnels. In fact, this water—" he nodded at the lake he had just emerged from—"is only ten and a half feet deep, whereas the lake we arrived from was approximately twenty-three and a half."

Kirk was confused. "You're saying that that lake, right in front of me, the lake that we both just came out of, isn't the same lake that we both _just _came out of?"

It sounded ridiculous, even to Spock, but the Vulcan said it anyway. "Yes, Captain. That is exactly what I am saying."

"Then where the hell are we?" Kirk asked, standing up. He looked around, hoping to find some clue within the trees.

Then, he heard it—voices. It sounded like a man and a woman talking. Kirk felt relief rush over him.

"You hear that, Spock? There are other people here. They'll be able to tell us where we are."

Spock nodded. "That would be a logical deduction, Captain." He pointed towards the trees. "I believe they are in that direction."

The two began walking in the direction that Spock had deducted. The voices got louder as they walked further into the brush, until Spock could make out what the two were saying.

"—think I'd be way too nervous on the Bridge to do whatever he asked me to do. But, maybe that goes away with time," the woman said.

Then, the man answered her: "It's really intimidating your first few shifts. I still remember my first time serving on the Bridge. Then I came on the _Enterprise_ and met Captain Picard for the first time. He decided it'd be a good time to _test_ me, so he had me manually put the saucer section and the lower half of the ship back together. I was so nervous—but, at the same time, I knew that I could do it."

"Captain," Spock said, reaching out and lightly touching Kirk's arm. "This is most fascinating."

"What is, Spock?" Kirk asked. His human ears hadn't been able to make out the words that the man and woman were exchanging.

"They are talking about 'the Bridge'," Spock said.

"So?"

"The _Enterprise_ Bridge."

Kirk stopped walking. He looked at Spock. "There weren't any other crewman scheduled to come to Iowa on shore leave, were there?"

"Not that I am aware of. I do not recognize the voices, either."

"Is there another ship called _Enterprise _that you know of?"

"No, Captain. They are also talking about the ship's captain—but not of you. They were referring to a Captain Picard."

"Picard?" Kirk thought for a moment. "I don't know of anyone named Picard."

"Nor do I."

"You gentlemen need some help?"

Kirk and Spock both looked, surprised, in the direction the voice had come from. A man, probably a few years short of forty, stood a few feet away from them. He had dark brown hair, a beard and laughing blue-gray eyes. Kirk stared at the man.

"You could say that," he said, reluctant to tell the whole story for the fear of looking like a mental case. "My friend and I—" he nodded at Spock, "were just looking for—"

"Wait, wait," the man interrupted. "You—You look like Captain Kirk."

Kirk felt his mouth open in surprise. "Well, I—I am Kirk. But how do you—"

The man looked even more surprised than Kirk did. He looked at Spock. "And you—you're Spock!" He smiled, a grin that obviously expressed ironic disbelief. "Of all the holodeck programs that I had to pick, I picked the one with Captain Kirk and Commander Spock."

"Holodeck programs?" Spock questioned. "What is a holodeck program, sir?"

The man raised his eyebrows. "You know, like…a computer program Of course, the late Enterprise didn't have them. But for some reason, our computer has programmed you into its version of Earth, late nineteenth century, Rockford, Maine."

"You are incorrect, sir," Spock said. "This is Iowa. Twenty-third century. Nor is this simply a 'computer program', as you put it. This—"

The man interrupted Spock with a smile. "Well, of course I don't expect you two to accept the fact that—well—that you're not real. I wouldn't want to accept it, either. But you—"

"Look, whoever you are," Kirk said, stepping between Spock and the man, "we are just as real as you are, okay? Now, I don't know what damn computer program you're talking about, but we just came down to Iowa for shore leave, all right? I wanted to show Spock an underwater cave, so the two of us dove, then when we came up to where the cave _used_ to be, we ended up here. All right?"

The bearded man opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off. "_Commander Riker, this is Lieutenant Commander Data. Captain Picard wishes you to return to the Bridge."_

The man tapped his chest. Kirk noticed, for the first time, a shiny Starfleet-designed badge pinned on his uniform. "What's up, Data?"

"…_Up, Sir? The ceiling is up. Hot air is up. When one is—"_

"Data, I mean what's going on."

"_Ah. Starfleet has sent a Priority One message to the Enterprise, Sir. It seems our services are required to assist some feuding colonists on the planet Titus III, in the Valaris sector."_

Kirk and Spock exchanged confused glances. Starfleet? The _Enterprise_? The Valaris sector? These all sounded familiar to them, but at the same time, so unfamiliar.

"I'm on my way. Riker out." The bearded man tapped the pin on his chest once more. "Well, gentlemen," he said, turning back to Kirk and Spock, "you heard the orders. I'm sure you did your fair share of helping people settle their disputes." He turned around to look in the direction he had approached them from. "Sarah! They need me back on the Bridge! I'm sorry, but I'll have to cut our time short!" Then, he looked towards a nearby clearing. "Computer," he said, "Exit."

Kirk jumped in surprise when he saw an arch appear no doubt a highly technically advanced piece of machinery. But their _Enterprise _equipment seemed to pale in comparison…

"You two enjoy yourselves," the man, Riker, said to them, a wide grin on his face. "Hopefully we can continue our chat at a later time."

With those final words, he turned and walked towards the doors placed under the arch which, not surprisingly, slid open when he had neared them. When he was through them, the doors closed and the arch disappeared.

Kirk turned to Spock immediately. "What do you make of all this, Spock?"

Spock shook his head. "I have not been able to fully grasp the situation yet," he admitted. "Perhaps if we…Computer, exit."

The same arch that Riker had just vanished from was now in front of them again. Spock turned to Kirk, as if asking permission to continue. "Captain?"

Kirk nodded in affirmation and led the way through the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Kirk couldn't help but notice all the stares that he and Spock were receiving as they walked through the halls of—well, of wherever exactly it was that they were. Disturbed as he was, he was even more disturbed that he couldn't figure out the reason _why_ people were staring at them. Was it because they were wearing swim trunks and nothing else? Was it because they were dripping water on the carpeted floors? Surely these people had seen odder things.

"Captain," Spock noted aloud, "these humans are all wearing what appear to be Starfleet uniforms."

Kirk had noticed it, too. Even though he knew he had never been on this ship—whatever it was—he felt like it was familiar to him. None of the people looked familiar, and it seemed a lot bigger than the _Enterprise_ he remembered, but something was still the same.

Spock, his hearing much better than Kirk's, was able to pick up some of the whispers the people were exchanging as they passed—_"Was that Spock?", "That looked like Captain Kirk!" "Wow, they look a lot younger than I remember them!" _Fascinating, Spock thought to himself. They appear to know us, yet we do not know them.

"I suggest we find the Bridge," Spock told Kirk. "If there is any place onboard where we will find our answers, it will be there."

Kirk raised an eyebrow, a rather Spock-like gesture. "The Bridge? So you really think that this is the _Enterprise_?"

"I do not know what to think, Captain. Given that we have no logical alternatives, I believe the best course of action is to use what we already know and proceed accordingly."

Kirk nodded; as usual, Spock's solution made sense, and he would feel like a fool to argue against him. "All right, Mister Spock. The Bridge shouldn't be hard to access—all we need is a turbolift. Surely there's one around here somewhere."

The two walked further down the hall, Kirk trying to ignore the looks he was still receiving and Spock taking in every minute detail. It wasn't long before they reached the end of the hall and, as expected, a set of doors that slid open when they approached them.

"Bridge," Kirk said, and twisted around to pull on the start lever, surprised to see that no such device was in this turbolift. Immediately, though, he felt his body be lightly swayed when the lift started moving. Kirk looked over at Spock.

"This is weird, huh?"

Spock raised an eyebrow. " 'Weird' is not exactly how I would describe it. Of course, there is a certain degree of peculiar sensation one would expect to experience in a situation such as this."

Kirk smirked. "And what situation is this, Mister Spock?"

Spock looked at Kirk. "Finding ourselves in a time and place other than our own, and not knowing how we arrived here."

"You're not scared, are you?" Kirk said, still grinning.

"Being scared is an emotional state, Captain, one of which I am incapable of experiencing."

"Incapable? Or just unlikely?"

Spock paused before answering and, before he did, he returned his gaze to an unknown point directly in front of him. "Incapable."

"Liar."

Before Spock could argue, the turbolift doors opened. He and Kirk stared wide-eyed at the scene before them—it was quite different than the Bridge they were used to, much bigger, for one. The familiar computers against the back wall were still present, though they looked much more impressive than the ones they were used to.

A huge view screen was in the very front of the Bridge, looking out towards what lay ahead. What was currently on the screen, Spock saw, was an orange planet. The person sitting in what would be Chekov's post on his _Enterprise_ was a young human male, probably no older than twenty years old. The man in Sulu's position—if he even was a man—had white skin and stiff, dark brown hair. Kirk seemed to notice him at the same time. He squeezed Spock's arm.

"What is that?" he whispered, pointing towards the—the thing—in the chair.

Spock raised an eyebrow. "I was attempting to ascertain that myself, Captain. He appears to be—"

"Captain!"

Spock and Kirk jerked their heads around in surprise. Kirk's eyes widened immediately when he saw whom the voice had come from. A huge Klingon was standing on the upper arch of the Bridge, facing them with a phaser in his hand.

"Hey, hey!" Kirk stuttered, shocked that he was being aimed at, and even more shocked that it was by a _Klingon _wearing a _Starfleet_ uniform. "Put that damn thing down!"

Everyone on the Bridge was now staring at them. Kirk recognized Riker from the holodeck; he was sitting on the lower level of the Bridge next to a bald man and a beautiful, dark-haired woman. The bald man, Kirk noticed, had four pins on his red shirt collar, no doubt signaling that he was the Captain.

If Kirk hadn't have been so confused, he would have burst out laughing—the looks on everyone's faces were hysterical, especially on Riker's.

"Hello. Again," Kirk said to Riker, trying to be friendly and trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the Bridge.

The bald man turned to look at Riker, his eyebrows furrowed with the same confusion Kirk and Spock were feeling. "Again?"

Riker still seemed to stunned for words—he just continued to stare at Kirk and Spock as if he hadn't even heard his captain's voice.

"We met Riker in what he called 'the holodeck'," Spock explained calmly.

"Only it wasn't a holodeck," Kirk said quickly. "We were on Earth. In Iowa, to be precise."

"Captain," the white-skinned man said suddenly, "They are registering as true life-forms. Definitely not holographic projections." Kirk realized that the man was holding what looked to him to be a simplified tricorder and was scanning them with it.

The bald man looked at the beautiful woman standing next to him, but she did not return his gaze. Her large black eyes were set on Kirk, as if reading his mind.

"Counselor."

The woman nodded. "I definitely feel emotions, Captain. From Captain Ki—from this one, more so than the other. They are present, though. Just harder to find. If I had to put a word on both of them, I would say disoriented."

"Hell yeah I'm disoriented," Kirk muttered. "Here you are reading my mind, when you could just ask me how I'm feeling! And you—" he pointed at the white-skinned man, "Talking about me like I'm not even here. Where're you manners?"

The man cocked his head. "I am sorry, sir. It was not my intention to offend. I was simply meaning to follow protocol, and inform Captain Picard of all the available information we have about you. If you wish, I could relay to you any of the number of 'manners' that I was programmed to imitate. For example, I have often noticed that—"

"Data," the bald man said, cutting off the former's speech.

Spock and Kirk looked at each other, and Spock even proceeded to raise his eyebrows, no doubt fascinated by this—this _thing_ referred to as 'Data'. What kind of creature was it? It didn't sound like a man, and something—something about it didn't act like a man. Not to mention the white skin, the gold eyes, the rigidity, the precision.

And then there was the _Klingon!_ Kirk couldn't help himself from automatically feeling anger and betrayal rise in his chest. Why would Starfleet allow a Klingon to serve onboard a starship? The Klingons couldn't be trusted; they had no desire for peace. They were, overall, just an evil race, he thought.

"Lieutenant," Picard said, turning to face the Klingon, "take them to…take them to the brig for the time being." He tapped the communicator on his chest. "Crusher to brig for medical examination."

"_On my way, Captain."_

"The brig?" Kirk said in surprise. "For what? We haven't done anything wrong."

"Forgive me, Captain," Picard said, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'm sure you would've taken the same safety precautions. Until our doctor examines you, we have no way of knowing if you are an extraterrestrial threat to us…or if you are, indeed, as you appear." 

* * *

><p>"There's no doubt about it, Captain. They're real. We have onboard the <em>Enterprise <em>Captain Kirk and Commander Spock."

"The real deal, huh?" Geordi couldn't help but chuckle at the situation.

"According to all my tests, yes," Crusher said with a slow nod. "Kirk's blood type matches exactly what they show of him in Starfleet medical records. As do Spock's—even his inherited genes are exactly as they should be, which would be a very difficult thing to imitate. Human and Vulcan DNA don't blend together easily."

Picard didn't know exactly how to proceed. He hesitated a second before turning to Riker. "Number One, tell me again what happened on the holodeck."

Riker nodded. "I was on the holodeck with Ensign Sarah Martin. We'd programmed it to be Earth, Rockford, Maine, nineteenth century. We were just there talking, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, they show up. Spock said that they were supposed to be in Iowa, in the twenty-third century—it'd make sense; that's the era that they're from. Then Data called me to the Bridge, and the rest is history."

Picard smirked. "Indeed. But it is incorrect history. I'm open to theories, anyone."

He scanned the faces of his officers—Geordi, Troi, Crusher, Riker, Data, Worf. They all looked as confused as he felt.

"Captain," Worf said, his gruff voice filling the room, "I cannot accept that this is Captain Kirk and Commander Spock. They appear much too young—"

"They are young, Worf," Crusher clarified. "According to my readings, Kirk is thirty-four and Spock is thirty-six."

"So, that would be what, fifty years ago?" Geordi asked. "It's strange enough that they appear in our holodeck—how could they only be in their thirties?"

"Captain," Data said, "I believe it would be wise to ascertain what has become of the Kirk and Spock in our own time. I do not believe it would be a pleasant experience if they were to discover that their younger selves are now once again in existence."

Troi spoke up. "You mean you think whatever brought them here may have…_eliminated_ their true selves that exist in our time?"

"I think it is a viable possibly, Counselor," Data admitted. "However, I advise we use caution while doing this research."

Picard nodded. "Agreed, Data. Even if we don't find anything, it won't hurt to look. Perhaps there's something in their past that could give us a clue to what's happening now."

"What are we going to do with them?" Worf asked. "They cannot remain on the _Enterprise_."

"And we can't just drop them off at the next Starbase we come to," Crusher said. "God only knows how many tests would be run on them."

Riker nodded. "We'll have to keep them around for a little while, until we can figure out exactly what they are, and how they got here."

"We must keep in mind," Picard said, "that we cannot discuss this with anyone off the _Enterprise_. I'm sure there are races that would love the opportunity to take a whack at either of those two, and we don't want to get in the middle of it."

"And, with their young age, there are probably some races that know them, but they haven't yet come into contact with," Troi noted. "That would be very hard to explain, both to them and to the alien race."

Picard nodded. "Then it's settled. We'll see what's become of the Kirk and Spock of our time, and we'll keep this absolutely confidential." He stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think it would be only courteous to give our honored guests some decent quarters."

"This is ridiculous," Kirk said with a scowl as he paced the floor of the cell. "Throwing us in the brig…and for what? _Existing_."

"I believe there is more to it than that, Jim," Spock said. He was standing in the corner facing Kirk, his hands clasped behind his back. "Captain Picard is correct; you would have taken the same precautions until you were aware of the entire gravity of the situation."

Kirk threw himself on to the bed, which was really more of a bench, with a sigh. "Well, I'm glad you're so calm." Kirk looked up at Spock. "How do you think we got here?"

"If I knew that, Captain, I assure you that I would already have already begun to formulate a plan to get us back to where we belong."

"Maybe it was something in the water," Kirk suggested. "Maybe…somehow…something happened that launched us into the future."

"Not likely. There have been no documented cases as such on Earth, ever. It is not plausible to think that they would start now."

"Then maybe they brought us here."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "They?"

"Yeah, they. The people here. Picard. Riker. Data. Maybe they brought us here. I don't know how it'd be possible, but unless you've got a better idea—"

"Captain Kirk."

Kirk and Spock looked up. Captain Picard was approaching them. As he reached for the force field control panel, he smiled apologetically. "My apologies once again, Captain. Now that I know you're not a threat to my crew, allow me to assign you to some quarters."

When Kirk stepped out of the cell, Picard reached out a hand. Kirk took it, though somewhat unenthusiastically. "I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard," the bald man said, a warm smile still on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."

When Spock stepped out, Picard looked at him and raised his hand in a Vulcan salute. "Mister Spock," he said respectfully, bowing his head.

"Captain Picard," Spock said calmly, returning the salute and the bow.

Picard motioned for them to follow him out of the room, which Spock and Kirk were both eager to do. When they were in the hallway, Picard smiled apologetically at Kirk once again.

"I'm sure that this isn't something you want to talk about," he said, "but I need to hear it one more time—how did you end up on my ship?"

"Funny, I could ask you the same thing," Kirk said, only half joking. This _Enterprise_, even though so different, was still so familiar to him.

Spock frowned inwardly. Jim had no logical reason to say such a thing. This ship, although similar to the _Enterprise_ that they hailed from, was obviously not one and the same. The technology, Spock had noticed, was far more advanced. He was no longer the only alien crewmember—there was a Klingon, and whatever race Data called himself.

"Captain," Spock said, and raised his eyebrows in faint amusement when both Kirk and Picard turned to him and asked, "Yes?"

"Captain Picard," Spock clarified, not catching Kirk's eye, "I am at a loss to understand why there are so many races represented on this vessel."

"Ah, good question," Picard said as he led them down the corridor. "You're right, Mister Spock, we do have many a race represented here. Why, you've already seen five represented here—Counselor Troi, who is half Betazed, Lieutenant Worf, a Klingon, Data, an android, myself, a human, and you, a Vulcan."

"Are there no other Vulcans on this ship?" Kirk asked.

"No," Picard answered. "We have several Vulcan officers." He smiled at Spock. "But you are still the only half-Vulcan in Starfleet, Mister Spock."

Spock, as Kirk had expected, didn't seem happy or sad about the news. Picard didn't seem phased by his lack of response, either—since he apparently knew so much about them already, he had probably been expecting it.


End file.
